Industrial rotary (centrifugal) sifters are commonly used to scalp and/or sift various materials and products (e.g., bakery mixes and ingredients, plants, confectionaries, powders, etc.). Such rotary sifters are designed to separate particles into two product streams, or alternatively, to remove tramp or undesirable materials from the desired material. An example of a previously known rotary sifter is shown in FIG. 1, wherein a rotary sifter 1 generally includes a stand 2 supporting a body assembly 3 with an inlet 4 for receiving media and a first outlet 5 for the discharge of the desired media or material after sifting, and a second outlet (not shown) for the discharge of undesired media or material. The body assembly 3 houses a screen frame assembly 6 (the screen is not shown for clarity) and a rotor assembly 7 that is mounted for rotation within the screen frame assembly 6. The rotor assembly 7 is driven by an external motor 8 through the use of a belt (not shown, as the belt is covered by a cover 9) connected to the motor 8 and located adjacent the inlet 4.
From time to time, rotary sifters must be inspected and cleaned, during which, several internal components must be removed, including, for example, the screen frame assembly 6 and the rotor assembly 7. To do so, a side door 10 in the body assembly 3 is unfastened and opened such that the screen frame assembly 6 and the rotor assembly 7 can be viewed and if needed, an end door 11 and screen and bearing retainer 12 in the body assembly are unfastened and opened to allow for access to, and removal of, the screen frame assembly 6 and the rotor assembly 7. The screen frame assembly 6 is pulled and removed from the body assembly 3 through the screen and bearing retainer 12 and end door 11 followed by the rotor assembly 7, and the screen and rotor assemblies 6, 7 are then cleaned and inspected. Once cleaned and inspected, the screen and rotor assemblies 6, 7 must be properly aligned and re-inserted into the body assembly 3 through the screen and bearing retainer 12 and end door 11.
Due to their weight and size, removing and replacing the screen frame assembly 6 and the rotor assembly 7 can be cumbersome and time consuming, as removal and replacement of the screen and rotor assemblies 6, 7 often requires more than one person. Additionally, in conventional designs, the screen frame assembly 6 and the rotor assembly 7 must be moved to a separate area for cleaning and inspection. Thus, manually removing, cleaning, and replacing the screen and rotor assemblies 6, 7 is a timely and laborious process that requires the rotary sifter to be shut down thereby decreasing production time and increasing labor costs. Both of these factors decrease the efficiency of the rotary sifter process which is undesirable in an industrial environment.
The present disclosure addresses these issues by providing a rotary sifter that allows for easier and faster inspection and cleaning than previous rotary sifter designs thereby reducing production downtime and labor cost, so as to increase the efficiency of the rotary sifter process.